Life in the time of the Marie Antoinette:
By Lorrie Anne
Bonjour! Welcome
to the Palace of Versailles, the country residence of the notorious Queen Marie
Antoinette and King Louis XVI.
As you promenade the
full length of the 239.5 feet Hall of Mirrors to pay your respects at the foot of the throne
of King Louis XVI, you are awed by the 17 magnificent archways accented with
357 mirrors and 30 artistic ceiling paintings that take your breath away. You are among the privileged rulers of Persia (1715) and the Ottoman
Empire (1742), who have promenaded the length of the gallery while members of the
French court look down upon you as they sit in amphitheater style seating on
either side in a show of superior wealth and power.
As a portrait below
attests, Marie, the Archduchess of Austria, was a beautiful child and indulged
by her royal Hapsburg parents. By the age
of twenty-two, after having become Queen of France, Marie often sat for
repeated portrait paintings, complaining that no artist was able to capture her
true image.
Marie, the Archduchess of Austria by Jean-Étienne Liotard
As Queen of France, the
extravagant Marie Antoinette would change clothing several times a day. Her wardrobe included twelve ceremonial
outfits, twelve frocks, and twelve elaborate full dresses. Wearing white linen was considered a display
of cleanliness, whereas commoners wore hemp. Shirts, bed linens and table linens were
extremely expensive and seen as a possession of the rich. In the portrait painted by Vigée-Lebrun, Marie is wearing a
white silk court gown with panniers— quite daring given the gauze and airy
lightness of the dress in comparison to styles of the time.
 |
| Vigée-Lebrun painting of Marie Antoinette |
Known for her fashion setting court dresses and foot-high hairstyles, Marie rebelled against the strict rules of court and wore scandalous cotton dresses at Trianon. The painting of Marie Antoinette en chemise became a scandal since the Queen was publicly displayed not in grand habit. The painting and dress Marie were considered indecent, and quickly replaced with the portrait on the right.
Left: Marie
Antoinette en chemise, 1783 portrait by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le
Right: Marie-Antoinette, painting
by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
Versailles with its
strict court etiquette was stifling to Marie Antoinette, so she escaped to the
Petite Trianon, where the scented orange blossom trees and flower gardens
provided freedom. In contrast to the formal palace gardens, the Trianon offered
meandering paths, hills and streams, a working farm with live animals and a
neo-Classical Temple of Love. Known for her extravagant indulgences, Marie
Antoinette had her own theater installed in the Trianon, where she and her devoted
friends acted out plays while the King attended to his duties at the Palace.
King Louis XVI was
awakened every morning at 8:30 a.m. and given a dry bath in public, a wiping
down with a white cloth, beginning his daily schedule according to strict court
etiquette. Only the highest members of the
court (nobles, cardinals,
archbishops, ambassadors, dukes, peers, etc.) were permitted to watch the king dress, a
ceremony known as the grand lever. The privileged stood encircled around the royal
bed as the highest-ranking prince gave the King his clothing.
In the
bedchamber of Louis XIV by Paul Philippoteaux
The Chapel Royal
The Wall of Royal
Portraits of the Ruling Kings and Ancestors of France
The King and Queen’s
Dining Room at The Palace of Versailles
The King and Queen’s
serving dishes at The Palace of Versailles
Ceiling Panoramas at the
Palace of Versailles
Ceiling Panoramas at the
Palace of Versailles
While
the
royals lived and dined in opulence, a revolution was brewing beyond the Palace
walls where the people of France were starving from a shortage of bread and basic
staples. Marie Antoinette was rumored to
have said, “Let them eat cake,” a statement
that has not been factually attributed to the Queen.
After dining, guests
would stroll in the gardens for fresh air.
The Orangerie By Urban at French
Bathing ranged from every eight days to once a year, where royalty often partook of the spa. Cleanliness meant “having good breath
and feet that didn't smell" Toute L'Histoire
(2017). Stories abound of a dirty Versailles with “members
of the court relieving themselves in the corner of stairwells, of a King
holding audiences on his throne, a chair with a hole in the seat..."
(Toute L'Histoire, 2017). Sign up for Lorrie’s
future blog posts to see the King’s two private toilets.
Perfumes were used to mask the smells
and were seen as cleansing the person from within. The court of Louis XIV became
known as "the perfumed court." King Louis XIV
preferred the smell of oranges and had his fountains scented with orange
blossom and jasmine water (Toute L’Histoire, 2017).
The King’s valets sprayed the palace with the
scent of orange blossoms, which were believed to be an aphrodisiac. Scents
were applied daily to the skin, clothing, fans, and furniture. King Louis XIV’s mistress, Madame de
Montespan, had her naked body rubbed with perfumes, which the King later believed
was the cause of his migraines when she fell out of favor.
Perfumes were used to
cast spells, hide smells, and as a disinfectant to dispel the plague. Perfume burners were placed in hospitals to
purify the air. Perfume transformed the
wearer and cleansed their health.
The ladies of court
sought Jean-Louis Fargeon, Marie Antoinette’s perfumer, to concoct cosmetics,
rouges, soaps and creams to whiten their hands and face, powders and opiate
elixirs for their teeth, and tablets and rinses to perfume the mouth (Feydeau,
2004, p. 34). Oils, colored powders, and
dyes were used to color the hair, while perfumed gloves were believed to be
beneficial to the skin. Marie Antoinette
had more than 18 pairs of perfumed kidskin gloves made each month.
Perfumes were decanted
in small porcelain bottles decorated with gold or silver art motifs. Marie Antoinette preferred perfumes and
toilet waters, such as the eau de fleur d’orange, also known as eau do Roi or
the King’s water. She took great care of
her skin with pomades scented with roses, vanilla, and other flowers. Marie’s perfumer also made rouge pomade to
enhance her lips. Perfume
soon became a sign of wealth, where a different scent was worn every day, even
during the French Revolution, when "Parfum a la Guillotine" was
created!
Lorrie
Anne
Lorrie
Anne is a
historical author who loves palaces, balls with beautiful French gowns, eating
tea and crumpets, and basically anything a royal princess would do.
She is fascinated with Marie Antoinette,
Queen Victoria, and the Empress Sissi of Austria. She loves
traveling around Europe and writing about the many places she visits to share the
fascinating stories of history with you.
More information about Lorrie Anne can be found
on her website at LorrieAnne.com, Facebook, and Twitter. She is always glad to hear
from readers and history enthusiasts.
References:
Versailles picture 1 : By Kimberly Vardeman (Flickr: Versailles) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Versailles picture 2 : By Wikiwee (Digital camera shot on vacation.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Versailles picture 3 : Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, via Wikimedia Commons
Picture 4 : Jean-Étienne Liotard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Picture 5 : Vigée-Lebrun painting of Marie Antoinette. Photo: Wikipedia/public domain
Picture 6 & 7 : Left: Marie Antoinette en chemise, 1783 portrait by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Photo: Wikipedia/Public Domain
Right: Marie-Antoinette, painting by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 18th century; in the Versailles Museum.© Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection
Picture 15 : By Copyleft (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Picture 16 : The Orangerie By Urban at French Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
All other images are credited to Lorrie Anne
The Palace of Versailles has always been on my bucket list. Wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary Anne,
DeleteI visited France a few years ago and am returning this July! I cannot wait! Versailles and France has a fascinating history. I am amazed at some of the stories that I discovered while researching for my upcoming book: a link to the Hope diamond; the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, and the King having a river moved to gain a source of water for Versailles. I'll share these fascinating stories and more in my next blog posts at Lorrieanne.com. Hope you enjoy! Lorrie
Such an interesting post. I have to admit, apart from the "Let them eat cake" quote I don't know much about Marie Antoinette. You have piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting on my blog post. I learned so much about Marie Antoinette when I visited Versailles to understand some of my ancestry. I am enjoying research into France as I write historical stories of romance and intrigue. I hope you continue to visit my blog at lorrieanne.com. I am happy to listen to your suggestions for future blog topics of interest, such as: clothing, the art of perfume creation and makeup at court (some of the make-up actually was toxic), crown jewels, or the revolution and the events that led to both Marie Antoinette and King Louis being guillotined as shared in their diaries. So thank you so much for visiting! I'd love to get better acquainted.
DeleteWe are going to Versailles this summer. My wife can't wait! I blame the TV drama "Versailles." Interesting post, Lorrie Anne.
ReplyDelete